Jesper on business-oriented legal advice in energy: "It is not enough for the advice to be correct"

"It naturally feels gratifying that clients appreciate my work and that of the energy team, and that they also take the time to share that. I believe it is partly due to a combination of the provision of advice we deliver being concrete and well-targeted, and partly due to a strong interest in the energy industry that gives a deeper understanding of the clients' operations."

Business-oriented legal advice in practice

For Jesper, the law is a part of the client's business — not an end in itself. The provision of advice needs to work in practice and provide support when important decisions are to be made.

"Beyond legal accuracy, which is a given for all legal advisers, for me it is about availability, clarity, and adapting the advice to the recipient. It is therefore not enough for the advice to be correct — it must also be commercially sound and useful for the person who is to make the decision."

That approach also characterises day-to-day work in the energy field. Assignments span several branches of law and often require that legal, technical, and commercial perspectives are weighed together.

"The advantage — and the challenge — of working with the energy sector is that the provision of advice spans a large number of branches of law and issues. A typical week for me can include everything from regulatory matters relating to electricity grids and nuclear installations, to land access for solar and battery parks, M&A and commercial agreements, for instance for production facilities or energy supplies."

A sector in rapid development

Electrification, new investments, and changing legislation mean that the energy field is developing rapidly. For companies, this means that decisions often need to be made at the same time as both market conditions and legislation are changing.

"Access to affordable and stable energy is fundamental to modern society, which means that the industry is greatly affected by political decisions, nationally and at EU level. At present, electrification and the volatile electricity price are driving investments in, among other things, battery storage, and nuclear power is on a stronger upswing than it has been for a long time. For clients in the sector, it is about navigating correctly in a rapidly changing regulatory framework, and sometimes also having a degree of good timing in their projects."

This places high demands on the provision of advice. In order to provide relevant support, one must understand both the regulatory frameworks and the commercial considerations that underlie each project.

Breadth and regulatory expertise

An important part of Jesper's development has been the opportunity to work across several branches of law and to gain close collaboration with clients at an early stage. This has also provided a broad understanding of how different legal issues are interconnected.

"I have had the privilege of working across several different branches of law and practice groups at Lindahl from the outset, and have in this way built up a solid foundation. Being able to take on independent responsibility and work directly with clients at an early stage — even as a relatively new member of the firm — has also been decisive, as has being part of a team that possesses an extraordinary depth of knowledge and experience in energy matters."

At the same time, Jesper highlights the energy team's regulatory expertise as an important strength. The combination of specialist knowledge and broad commercial law experience makes it possible to support clients through many different types of issues.

"The team has extensive experience in energy matters. What I believe distinguishes us is the depth of regulatory expertise. Several firms can handle energy-related M&A, but few also have the same depth when it comes to regulatory matters, for example on the electricity grid side. The combined breadth and depth means that we can support clients with provision of advice in all areas of their operations."

For Jesper, it is also the greater significance of the work that makes the energy field particularly interesting. Through the provision of advice, he gets to work closely with a sector that is central to both business and the development of society.

"As someone with a keen interest in society, it is very engaging to work closely on a daily basis with an industry that plays such an important role in society, and to contribute something concrete through the law in that context."

Would you like to know more about how we at Lindahl work within energy?

You are welcome to contact us.